LEADING OFF>Georgia State plays its final midweek game at long-time rival Mercer on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Panthers have won four of the last five in the series, including a 4-2 victory in Atlanta on April 18.

>Still fighting for a berth in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, the Panthers then conclude the regular season at Georgia Southern, beginning Thursday.

>The Panthers are coming off a series victory over Appalachian State. Ace Hunter Gaddis won the Friday game, 4-2, and then seniors Justin Jones and Jordan Lee and freshman Ryan Glass provided the heroics in a 3-2 win on Senior Day. Jones homered in the first inning and then smacked a game-tying double in the bottom of the ninth, setting up Glass' walk-off single. Lee allowed two runs on four hits in a career-high 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts, also a career best.

>Seniors Justin Jones (4.11 GPA) and Will Kilgore (3.91 GPA) were named last week to the Google Cloud Academic All-District® baseball team by CoSIDA). Both are now eligible for the Google Cloud Academic All-America® baseball team, which will be announced next month.

>Junior catcher Nick Gatewood is fourth in the Sun Belt with 12 homers, fifth in RBI (46) and eighth in batting average (.330).

>Two Georgia State players have been named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball this season in junior catcher Nick Gatewood (April 9) and freshman DH Ryan Glass (May 14). That gives GSU seven National Player of the Week Awards in the last five seasons.

>Glass was honored this week after homering in three straight games and then hitting a walk-off single on Senior Day.

>Gatewood was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game as well as Sun Belt Player of the Week after going 8-for-15 with four homers, 11 RBI and nine runs scored in four games while catching 34 of 35 innings.

>On April 6 vs. Arkansas State, right fielder Brandon Bell became just the second player in GSU history to hit for the cycle (Mark Micowski vs. N.C. Central, 2010). Bell was 5-for-5: single, double, single, 3-run HR, triple. His cycle came one game after he hit a grand slam at Furman.

>Friday starter Hunter Gaddis (8-3) leads the Sun Belt with eight victories and ranks fifth in ERA (3.18) and sixth in strikeouts (77). Following his standout rookie season (4-4, 3.72), Gaddis became the first Panther to pitch for the Team USA Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2017.

>Gaddis has twice been named Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week:-March 26: Threw his second complete game in 7-2 win vs. South Alabama, allowing four hits and striking out eight. He blanked the Jags for seven innings before allowing two runs in the eighth.-March 12: Complete-game, three-hit shutout with a career-high 10 strikeouts and no walks in 2-0 win at Samford. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

>Gaddis also defeated No. 16 Coastal Carolina as he allowed two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts over seven innings.

>The Georgia State pitching staff tied a 22-year-old school record by striking out 18 batters in a 6-5, 12-inning win over Louisiana (April 27). Four pitchers were involved: Hunter Gaddis (8), Brandon Baker (4), Jansen Acton (3) and Tyler Koch (3). The record was first set vs. Furman in 1996.

>Justin Jones, hitting .302, reached another milestone last weekend at ULM with his 100th career RBI. He is one of 12 players in school history with 200 career hits, 100 RBI and 100 runs scored.

>In the April 27 6-5 win over Louisiana, Jones tied the game with a homer in the eighth inning and then won it in the 12th with a squeeze bunt. That is the fifth time in his career he has driven in the winning run in extra innings.

>Now in his 12th season, head coach Greg Frady is Georgia State’s career victory leader with 354 for the Panthers as part of his 541 career wins.

JONES’ RECORD WATCH: With 210 career games, senior shortstop Justin Jones is collecting records and milestones.

>Hit by pitch 33 times, second in GSU history to Bradley Logan, 35, 2007-10.

>GSU’s career leader in fielding assists with 598 (Previous record was 524 by Michael Brand, 1993-96).

>Has 231 career hits to stand seventh in GSU history. Next up is No. 6 Josh Vandiver with 233.

>Tied for fifth with 137 career runs scored.

>Tied for sixth with 89 career walks.

>Tied for sixth with 45 career doubles.

>Tied for fourth with 787 career at-bats and seventh with 210 games played.

SERIES VS. MERCER: Georgia State has won four of the last five in the series, including the last game in Macon, and six of the last eight.

>Since head coach Greg Frady took over in 2007, GSU leads Mercer 12-8.

>Georgia State won the first meeting this season, 4-2 in Atlanta on April 18. Jack Thompson hit a two-run homer and Will Kilgore added a solo shot. Five Panther pitchers held the Bears to six hits with 10 strikeouts.

>In the last meeting at Mercer in 2016, the Panthers rallied for five runs in the ninth inning to win 10-6. Jack Thompson hit a three-run homer in the game, and Will Kilgore had a two-run single.

>Mercer leads the overall series, which began in 1967, 67-50, but since Georgia State reinstated its program in 1992, the Panthers lead 39-36, including a 35-26 advantage since 1996.

>Mercer is Georgia State’s most frequent opponent as the two schools have played more than 100 times since 1967. Every year that GSU has fielded a baseball team, it has played Mercer at least once.